Hill, P.FZJ* ; Hille, R.FZJ* ; Bouisset, P. ; Calmet, D. ; Kluson, J. ; Smagulov, S. ; Seysebaev, A.

1996
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Zentralbibliothek, Verlag Jülich

Report No.: Juel-3325

Abstract: To determine the long-term consequences of atmospheric atomic bomb tests for the population in the surroundings of the former nuclear weapons test site near Semipalatinsk, studies were performed by international cooperation between Kazakh, Freneh, Czech and German institutions at two measuring locations (Moistik, Maisk) in Kazakhstan. Moistik is a village dose to Dolon and downwind of the first atomic bomb explosion on August 29, 1947. Maisk is clse to Kurchatov and not too far from ground zero. With financial support from NATO, nine experts from Europe went on a field mission to Kazakhstan in September 1995 to assess, together with Kazakh scientists, the radiological situation as far as external doses, environmental contamination and body burden of man are concerned. The results show that surface contamination from nuclear weapons tests has in the meantime decayed to a large extent. External doses largely correspond to the natural background. The remaining incorporation of longer-lived radionuclides is also slight and in 1995 merely led to an annual dose of less than 1 % of the natural radiation exposure for $^{137}$Cs and $^{90}$Sr. The question of a dose contribution by the possible incorporation of $^{239}$Pu remains open. Life in the villages of Maisk and Moistik does not currently involve any radiological threat to the inhabitants. However, dose reconstruction for the older inhabitants directly affected by aboveground atomic weapons tests remains difficult.

1. Abteilung Sicherheit und Strahlenschutz (S)